Individualisation is becoming increasingly important in all areas of life and across all age groups. Whether shoes, mobile phone covers, helmets, rucksack buckles, small gifts or electrical kitchen accessories – the trend is towards individualised design and industrial mass production design of three-dimensional objects. And the demand for individually designed tabletops, cupboards and skirting boards is also growing in interior design. With its new 3D SubliColor films, Sihl is proud to present an innovative solution for printing 3D objects using a new process tailored to these markets.

From traditional processes to a new type of diffusion process

Screen and hand printing were the only printing options available in the past. Besides taking up a huge amount of time, both variants are not suitable for many areas – especially when it comes to printing three-dimensional objects. To devise a solution to this problem, the papers used for the dye-sublimation printing of 2D objects were also applied to 3D objects. Despite having ushered in a new trend, conventional dye sublimation papers were found to provide only a limited quality of print image – on account of folds and creases in the paper being transferred to the motif.

Sihl 3D SubliColor technology allows images to be transferred to any three-dimensional complex shape, for both high production volumes as well as short runs of limited designs. Even printing on demand for single pieces is possible with this technology. This means that objects such as car keys or shoes – previously regarded as unprintable – can now be designed individually. This is made possible by a special thermoforming process that precisely transfers aqueous dye sublimation ink to 3D objects without losing the fine details of the image or transferring creases. What is more – this technology works regardless of the size and material of the shape to be printed. All materials can be printed – from untreated polymers and extruded plastics to metals, glass, ceramics and other substrates that have been pre-coated with a polyester coating.

How does 3D SubliColor from Sihl work?

The process requires a thermoforming, printable film – such as the translucent 3D SubliColor films Sihl SubliColor Gadget Film 240 and SubliColor Object Film 240 – an inkjet printer with special sublimation ink as well as a heated vacuum source (either an IR oven or hot-air vacuum oven). The real innovation behind this process involves the use of low temperatures to transfer the ink, so that even previously unprintable everyday objects that would otherwise deform or melt at high temperatures can be designed.

The thermoforming film is printed with dye sublimation inks, fixed in a frame and positioned over the polyester-coated 3D object in a preheated vacuum or IR oven. After a certain time, the film becomes soft at approx. 87°C, allowing it to be wrapped easily around the object in a vacuum. In this way, it adapts to all corners and curves without distorting or damaging the image. At a temperature between 150°C and 200°C, the applied ink is gaseous and transferred into the amorphous structure of the substrate. The desired motif has now been transferred to the object.

Sihl offers two products with APET base material for individualisation with 3D sublimation technology. Thanks to the low softening point of the films, the vacuum pressure can be removed relatively quickly after the film has been wrapped around the object, thus preventing incomplete sublimation. What is more – the films are made of a flexible monomaterial without metallisation, allowing them to be reused after application in typical recycling processes.

You can find more information about the new diffusion process and 3D SubliColor films from Sihl on our website: https://bit.ly/32uBPAS or contact David Radtke